Method of attaching a sunshade to a vehicle

ABSTRACT

A sunshade mounting bracket assembly for mounting a sunshade to a vehicle without the use of tools or fasteners. The bracket assembly includes an outer bracket, an inner bracket, and an elbow to which the sunshade is attached. The outer bracket is mountable to an apertured panel such as the sheet metal interior roof of the vehicle. The inner bracket includes resilient locking prongs which define an interior hollow into which the elbow is inserted. The resilient locking prongs are structured to be insertable into an opening in the outer bracket. After their insertion into the outer bracket, the prongs engage the outer bracket when the inner bracket is axially rotated relative to the outer bracket from a first rotational orientation to a second rotational orientation for use. During their engagement with the outer bracket, the prongs are compressed radially inward to compress the elbow maintained within the hollow, which results in rotation of the elbow relative to the inner bracket being frictionally resisted. A method of installing the bracket assembly to a vehicle is also disclosed.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 08/350,409, filed Dec. 6,1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,854.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to sunshades for vehicles, and,in particular, to a mounting bracket assembly that allows the sunshadeto be installed in a vehicle without the use of tools or fasteners.

Sunshades for vehicles are typically mounted on the vehicle body roof bya bracket assembly that provides both a horizontal axis about which avisor blade pivots between a storage position adjacent the vehicleheadliner and a use position adjacent the windshield, and a generallyvertical axis about which the visor pivots between a forward windshieldposition and a side window position. The need to use fasteners andtools, either powered or hand driven, in the installation into vehiclesof many existing sunshade mounting bracket assemblies is undesirable fora number of reasons. For example, in addition to diminishing theaesthetics of the finished product, fasteners may be more laborintensive to install and therefore expensive to employ. Fasteners mayalso be costly as well as potentially damaging to the vehicle.

A variety of sunshade mounting bracket assemblies have been developed,such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,608 and U.S. Pat. No.5,242,204, which substantially dispense with the need for tools andfasteners in installation. However, while perhaps facilitatinginstallation in some respects, these assemblies are not without theirshortcomings.

For example, shortcomings with existing designs pertain to the effort ortorque required to swing the sunshade between a windshield coveringposition and a side window covering position. The required rotationaleffort is typically a function of the frictional resistance between thebracket assembly elbow and the remainder of the mounting bracketassembly. Prior art attempts to control this effort have taken numerousforms. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,204, springs have previouslybeen used to try and force mating parts together to provide an adequatefrictional engagement therebetween. However, the use of springs mayincrease the expense of the component parts and complicate the assemblyof the parts.

Other designs, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,954, utilize aninterference fit between an elbow or bracket arm and a bracket, whereinthe elbow is held within the bracket by an engagement of an elbow headby tangs of the bracket.

It is desirable to provide a visor mounting bracket assembly having adesired rotational effort that does not require springs to produce theeffort and which can provide a substantial effort without hinderinginstallation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a visor mounting bracket assembly whichcan be readily installed to a vehicle in a secure manner without the useof fasteners or powered or hand driven tools. The inventive bracketassembly utilizes an inner bracket with locking prongs that are bentinwardly during bracket installation to compress the bracket elbow,which is connected to the visor blade, so as to produce a significantrotational effort in a manner which does not hamper the installationprocess.

In one form thereof, the present invention provides a sunshade mountingbracket assembly for mounting a sunshade to an apertured panel. Thebracket assembly includes an outer bracket, an inner bracket, and anelbow. The outer bracket is mountable to the apertured panel andincludes an inner bracket receiving opening. The elbow is connectablewith the sunshade. The inner bracket includes a plurality of resilientlocking prongs defining an elbow receiving interior hollow, and theprongs are insertable into the inner bracket receiving opening. Theresilient locking prongs, after their insertion into the receivingopening, are engagable with a portion of the outer bracket and arecompressible radially inwardly thereby when the inner bracket axiallyrotates relative to the outer bracket from a first rotationalorientation to a second rotational orientation for use. The elbow, whendisposed within the interior hollow during radial compression of thelocking prongs, is compressed between the locking prongs such thatrotation of the elbow relative to the inner bracket is frictionallyresisted.

In another form thereof, the present invention provides a toollesssunshade mounting bracket assembly for use with a panel. The bracketassembly includes an outer bracket, an inner bracket, and an elbow. Theouter bracket includes a plurality of resilient locking fingers and aninner bracket receiving opening. The locking fingers are insertable intoa common aperture in the panel and latchable with the panel for mountingthe outer bracket to the panel. The elbow is connectable with thesunshade. Preferably, the elbow comprises a molded plastic integral withthe metal visor arm. The inner bracket includes a plurality of resilientlocking prongs which define an elbow receiving interior hollow. Theelbow, when positioned within the interior hollow, is rotatable relativeto the inner bracket about a first axis. The resilient locking prongs,when disposed at a first rotational orientation relative to the outerbracket, are insertable into the inner bracket receiving opening. Aftertheir insertion into the opening, the prongs are engagable with aportion of the outer bracket and are thereby compressible inwardly in adirection generally transverse to the first axis when the inner bracketis rotated relative to the outer bracket to a second rotationalorientation for use. The elbow, when disposed within the interior hollowduring the compression of the locking prongs, is compressed between thelocking prongs such that rotation of the elbow relative to the innerbracket is frictionally resisted.

In still another form thereof, the invention provides a method ofattaching a sunshade to a vehicle. An apertured panel is provided, and amounting bracket assembly is provided including an outer bracket, aninner bracket, and an elbow connectable with the sunshade. The outerbracket includes means for attachment to the apertured panel and aninner bracket receiving opening. The inner bracket includes a pluralityof resilient locking prongs defining at least a portion of an elbowreceiving interior hollow. The method further includes the steps ofattaching the outer bracket to the apertured panel, inserting the elbowinto the elbow receiving interior hollow, and inserting the resilientlocking prongs into the inner bracket receiving opening of the attachedouter bracket. After prong insertion into the receiving opening, themethod also includes the step of axially rotating the resilient lockingprongs relative to the outer bracket from a first rotational orientationto a second rotational orientation, wherein during rotation theresilient locking prongs engage a portion of the outer bracket to becompressed radially inwardly thereby so as to compress the elbow betweenthe prongs such that rotation of the elbow relative to the inner bracketis frictionally resisted.

One advantage of the present invention is that a sunshade mountingbracket assembly can be securely installed, without tools or fasteners,in a convenient manner that will expedite assembly.

Another advantage of the present invention is that the elbow of thebracket assembly on which the visor is mounted is automaticallycompressed within the bracket during installation such that installationby the manufacturer achieves a desired rotational effort.

Another advantage of the present invention is that the sunshade mountingbracket assembly can be installed in a manner that reduces thelikelihood of damage to the vehicle, such as paint chips, and whichreduces the likelihood of the cracking of the bracket assembly byeliminating screws and thus the possibility of over torquing the screws.

Another advantage of the present invention is that the engagement of themounting bracket with the sheet metal roof of the vehicle only requiresprovision of a single aperture in the roof.

Still another advantage of the present invention is that the latchingtype engagement of the bracket with the sheet metal roof serves as atactile indicator of the completion of bracket installation as well asdoes not risk damage potentially caused by excessive torquing of screwsduring assembly.

Still another advantage of the present invention is that the compressingof the elbow within the bracket assembly provides a stable bracketassembly which is not likely to have its rotational effort adverselyaffected by vibrations experienced during use.

Another advantage of the present invention is that the mounting bracketis automatically designed to achieve optimal installation in contrast toother types of mounting brackets, which rely on the use of torquingscrews to achieve proper installation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned and other advantages and objects of this invention,and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and theinvention itself will be better understood by reference to the followingdescription of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a sunshade or visor shown operationallyinstalled in a vehicle via a visor mounting bracket assembly of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the outer bracket member, theinner bracket member and the elbow of the assembly of FIG. 1, andwherein the apertured vehicle panel to which the assembly isoperationally installed is diagrammatically show;

FIG. 3A is a partial cross-sectional side view of the visor mountingbracket assembly of FIG. 2 shown installed to an apertured vehicle panelcomprised of the vehicle headliner and sheet metal roof, wherein thevisor mounting bracket assembly is shown in a partially unassembledstate;

FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of the encircled region referenced as 3B inFIG. 3A showing the snap engagement of a mounting bracket locking fingerwith the vehicle roof;

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the visormounting bracket assembly of FIG. 1 during assembly at a stage prior tothe inner bracket member and outer bracket member being finally securedtogether;

FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the inner bracket member of theassembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the elbow of the assembly of FIG. 1 withthe travel stop of the inner bracket member abstractly shown;

FIGS. 7A-7C are a series of partial sectional perspective views of theassembly of FIG. 1 during its installation to the apertured vehiclepanel;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are a series of partial sectional perspective views ofthe assembly of FIG. 1 during its partial removal from the vehicle;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the outer bracket member, theinner bracket member and the elbow of an alternate embodiment of a visormounting bracket assembly of the present invention, and wherein adifferently configured apertured panel to which the assembly may beoperationally installed is diagrammatically shown;

FIG. 10 is a top view of the outer bracket member of the bracketassembly of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic fragmentary view of a locking flex arm of theouter bracket member and its locking engagement with the inner bracketmember;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view along line 12--12 of FIG. 14A of themounting bracket assembly of FIG. 9;

FIGS. 13A-13C are a series of partial sectional perspective views of thebracket assembly of FIG. 9 during its installation to the aperturedpanel;

FIGS. 14A and 14B are a series of partial sectional perspective views ofthe bracket assembly of FIG. 9 during its partial removal from thepanel; and

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an outer bracket member of anotherembodiment of the present invention which includes an auxiliary visorbar.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views. Although the drawings representembodiments of the invention, the drawings are not necessarily to scaleand certain features may be exaggerated in order to better illustrateand explain the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments disclosed below are not intended to be exhaustive orlimit the invention to the precise forms disclosed in the followingdetailed description. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and describedso that others skilled in the art may understand their teachings.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a visor mounting bracketassembly of the present invention, generally designated 25, employed toinstall a sunshade or visor, generally designated 15, to the hiddensheet metal roof interior panel of a vehicle. The roof is covered byheadliner 17, which may include as is conventional an exposed cushionedfabric material colored to complement the decor of the vehicle. Visormounting bracket assembly 25 permits sunshade 15 to be horizontallypivoted from the shown position proximate vehicle windshield 18 to aposition proximate vehicle side window 19. As is conventional in theart, visor blade 20 is rotatably supported on visor shaft 21 extendingfrom visor mounting bracket assembly 25, and can be coupled to supporthook 23. The shown construction of the sunshade is not material to thepresent invention, as visor mounting bracket assembly 25 can be utilizedwith various styles of sunshades, including those with electricalcircuitry providing for illumination of furnished vanity mirrors.

As shown in the embodiment illustrated in the substantially explodedview of FIG. 2, visor mounting bracket assembly 25 basically includes anouter bracket member 30, an inner bracket member 70, and an elbow 100.Visor mounting bracket assembly 25 is installed to an apertured panel125 including an outer surface 130 and an inner surface 131. Panel 125includes a keyed aperture 127, which in this embodiment is shaped as anisosceles triangle, for purposes of ensuring a proper insertionalignment of outer bracket member 30. Alternate shapes of aperture 127may be employed provided corresponding changes to outer bracket member30 occur to allow connection therewith. As described further herein,panel 125 represents the vehicle interior roof made of sheet metal.While the headliner 17 covering underside surface 131 of panel 125 isnot shown in FIG. 2, as shown in FIG. 3A headliner 17 is pressed betweenouter bracket member 30 and panel 125 when outer bracket member 30 isinstalled. Due to its clamping engagement with headliner 17, outerbracket member 30 can be employed to assist in mounting headliner 17directly to the vehicle, thereby facilitating assembly. It will also beappreciated that for off-line installations of the assembly to somemodular headliners, a rigid backing plate having a keyed aperture willserve as the apertured panel 125. The back plate and outer bracket wouldloosely hold the headliner therebetween until a later stage of assemblywhen the outer bracket would also be attached to an appropriatelyapertured sheet metal roof, thereby sandwiching the back plate andheadliner tightly therebetween.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-4, outer bracket member 30 is preferably moldedin one-piece from a suitable plastic material such as ABS or Acetal.Outer bracket member 30 includes a generally planar bottom wall 32 shownbeing generally circular in shape. Circular recess 34 is formed in thelower surface of bottom wall 32 and is sized and shaped to accommodatebottom flange 72 of inner bracket member 70. Centrally disposed withinrecess 34 is a keyed opening 36 through which inner bracket member 70inserts. In the shown embodiment, keyed opening 36 is generallytriangular in shape with one of the triangle corners shortened toprevent inner bracket member 70 from being inserted at an improperrotational orientation. Alternatively shaped keyed openings could alsobe employed provided corresponding changes to the configuration of innerbracket member 70 occur.

Upwardly extending from the radial periphery of bottom wall 32 is shield38, which is bowed outwardly. Housing 40, which defines a cavity inwhich a spring of a locking pin is held captive, also is formed onbottom wall 32. Radially aligned ribs between the sides of shield 38 andbottom wall 32 may be provided to increase the bracket member rigiditywithout introducing significant extra material costs or weight. Shield38 is particularly shaped in conjunction with the headliner 17 orvehicle roof panel to which visor mounting bracket assembly 25 isinstalled such that around its entire circumference shield upper edge 39is flush with headliner 17 when outer bracket member 30 is mounted.

Outer bracket member 30 also includes a set of three upwardly extendinglocking fingers which are resiliently hingedly connected to bottom wall32. As best shown in FIG. 2, locking fingers 43-45 are aligned in a oneto one correspondence and flanking the three legs of triangular keyedopening 36. In the integral configuration shown, the plasticconstruction of fingers 43-45 furnishes them with sufficient resiliencyto return from a radially inward deflected position shown in FIG. 3B toa latching position represented in shadow in FIG. 3B during bracketinstallation described further below.

The upper faces of locking fingers 43-45 each includes ramps 48-50 usedfor camming inner bracket member 70 upward into an assembled position.Locking bosses or catches 52-54 are integral with and project from theoutwardly facing side surfaces of locking fingers 43-45 to positivelyengage the upper face of sheet metal panel 125 (See FIG. 3A) duringinstallation of outer bracket member 30. To account for the shownangling of panel 125 relative to visor mounting bracket assembly 25,locking boss 52 is oriented generally transverse to the alignment of itslocking finger 43, and locking bosses 53 and 54 are angled relative tothe alignments of their respective locking fingers 44 and 45. It will beappreciated that in order to positively engage alternately contouredpanels or headliners, or to engage apertures in addition to the single,central keyed aperture shown, locking bosses 52-54 could be otherwiseconfigured.

Referring to FIG. 3A, shown in a disassembled state are locking pin 60and compression spring 63, which are one possible set of components forpositively preventing relative rotation between inner bracket member 70and outer bracket member 30 when assembly 25 is operationally assembled.Spring 63 inserts within the cavity defined by housing 40, and lockingpin 60 caps the lower spring end and projects into recess 34. Radiallyprojecting ears 61 of pin 60, which may engage notches or slots formedin the inner walls of housing 40, prevent pin 60 and spring 63 fromfalling out of housing 40 when assembled.

Rather than the integral formation shown, locking fingers 43-45 couldalternatively be formed as part of an insert which is connectable to theremainder of outer mounting bracket 30. Suitable methods of connectionmay include a latching engagement as well as other ways well known inthe art. This insert type construction is envisioned advantageouslyproviding the remainder of the shown mounting bracket assemblycomponents with the flexibility to be employed with vehicles havingdifferently configured headliners and the like. In particular,utilization of interchangeable inserts allows the angle and position atwhich locking fingers 43-45 are disposed relative to outer mountingbracket bottom wall 32 to be adjusted without requiring that differentlyconstructed inner bracket members 70 or elbows 100 be furnished. As aresult, by merely changing the insert containing the locking fingers,sunshade 15 may be disposed at different angles relative to outermounting bracket 30, which may be desired as dictated by the shape ofthe vehicle to which mounting bracket assembly 25 is operationallyinstalled.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-6, inner bracket member 70 is preferably moldedin one-piece from a resilient, flexible material such as Acetal plastic.This construction affords prongs 83-85 suitable flexibility to becompressed into a tightened engagement with elbow 100 during cammingrotation of assembly described below. Bottom annular flange 72 includessemi-circular notch 74 along its radial periphery and a cylindricalaxial bore 75 formed therethrough. An arcuate travel stop 76 havingopposite end faces 77, 78 ring bore 75 along the lower face of flange72. Travel stop 76 rings approximately 180° of bore 75 to provide thedesired operational range of rotation for elbow 100.

Tubular body 80 of inner bracket member 70 extends upwardly from flange72 and terminates with upstanding prongs 83-85 defined by longitudinallyextending slots therebetween. The hollow interior of tubular body 80forms the upper volume of axial bore 75 and is generally frustoconicalin shape. The hollow interior tapers upwardly and ends at a ledge 87(See FIG. 4) disposed on and jutting inwardly from each prong 83-85.Camming lugs 90-92 situated proximate the top of prongs 83-85 aregenerally rounded tetrahedral projections in shape and protrude radiallyoutwardly. Camming lugs 90-92 can be increased or decreased in size toachieve proper rotational effort of visor swing torque. In other words,the camming lugs can be increased or decreased in size to regulate thefrictional force between the inner bracket and elbow. As best shown inFIG. 2, lugs 90-92 together define a body upper periphery which isgenerally triangular in outlined shape. In order for prongs 90-92 to beinsertably received through keyed opening 36, which includes a shortenedcorner, lug 90 lacks an outermost tip present in lugs 91 and 92.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, elbow 100 is generally molded in one piecefrom Nylon in an L-shape form that includes a horizontal leg portion 102and a vertical leg portion 104. The approximately 90° bend shown ismerely exemplary, as other angles may be employed in some situations toproperly locate sunshades in their respective vehicles. Elbow verticalleg portion 104, which tapers upwardly to closely correspond in size andshape to the interior hollow of inner bracket member body 80, isintegrally formed with a radially extending stop block 106 at its lowerend and an annular ridge 108 at its top end. In the shown embodiment,visor shaft 21 is also L-shaped and encased within both leg portions 102and 104. Visor shaft 21 reinforces the plastic construction of elbow 100and may serve as a conduit through which electrical current to potentialvisor accessories is circuited.

To connect elbow 100 to inner bracket member 70, elbow vertical legportion 104 slidably inserts in an axial direction through bore 75 andinto the interior hollow of body 80 until annular ridge 108 encountersledges 87 of prongs 83-85. Provided sufficient axial force is applied toelbow 100, prongs 83-85 are biased outwardly allowing annular ridge 108to slide past ledges 87, at which time prongs 83-85 resiliently snapback to their static position to effectively maintain elbow 100 thereinas shown in FIG. 4. Elbow 100 is free to rotate about its axis ofinsertion relative to inner bracket member 70 provided torque or effortsufficient to overcome a first frictional resistance is applied. When soconnected, stop block 106 is elevationally aligned with travel stop 76of inner bracket member 70, which is abstractly represented in FIG. 6.In this embodiment, stop block 106 spans an arc of about 60°, therebyallowing elbow 100 to be rotated about 120°, i.e. the arc spanned byangles A and B, without stop block 106 abutting either of travel stopends 77 and 78. It will be appreciated that stop block 106 and travelstop 76 cooperate to define the arcuate length of the visor travel path.

The structure of visor mounting bracket assembly 25 will be furtherunderstood in view of the following description of its installation,with reference to FIGS. 7A-7C, and its removal, with reference to FIGS.8A and 8B. The manner in which the various components of visor mountingbracket assembly 25 are installed is not intended to be limited by thefollowing description. While explained herein mounting a headlinerdirectly to a roof, as explained above assembly 25 can be attached to amodular headliner and subsequently incorporated into a vehicle.Moreover, the various components of assembly 25 can be installed atvarious points of manufacture, as mounting bracket 30 can be used tofasten headliner 17 to panel 125 while separate from the remainder ofthe assembly components, which can be subsequently installed to thevehicle panel at a later stage of manufacture if desired. It will beappreciated that the present inventive assembly may advantageously serveas part of the fastening system for the headliner.

As shown in FIG. 7A, outer bracket member 30 is initially attached topanel 125, sandwiching the not shown headliner therebetween. Inparticular, with outer bracket member 30 rotationally oriented such thatlocking fingers 43-45 are aligned with the legs of the keyed panelaperture 127, outer bracket member 30 is moved upwardly in the directionindicated by arrow 135. Due to the isosceles shape of keyed aperture127, outer bracket member 30 can only be readily inserted in a properoperational orientation. During this upward insertion, the ramped upperfaces of locking bosses 52-54 encounter the inner surface 131 of panel125, which causes locking fingers 43-45 to be bent radially inwardly.This bending is abstractly represented in FIG. 7A by the shadowedlocking finger, which is shifted in the direction indicated by arrow137. As outer bracket member 30 continues to be forced upwardly, thetips of the locking bosses eventually pass outer surface 130 of panel125. Due to their resilient construction, locking fingers 43-45 thensnap outwardly, in the direction indicated by arrow 138 and to theposition shown in shadow in FIG. 3B, to a securing position latchablyengaging panel 125. The height of locking bosses 52-54 and their angularorientation relative to shield 38 are selected such that shield upperedge 39 snugly presses headliner 17 against panel 125 as shown in FIG.3A. The ramped lower faces of locking bosses 52-54 also account forexpected tolerance variations in the actual thickness of panel 125.

Referring now to FIG. 7B, inner bracket member 70 and elbow 100 areshown as a subassembly being installed to mounted outer bracket member30. This subassembly is achieved by the securing of elbow ridge 108within inner bracket member prongs 83-85 in the above-described manner.Insertion of the subassembly commences by rotationally orienting innerbracket member 70 such that lugs 90-92 are properly oriented so as to beinsertable into keyed opening 36. Orientation may be aided by arrowsmolded into the parts. The subassembly is then slid upwardly in thedirection indicated by arrow 139 until bottom flange 72 substantiallyresides within bottom wall recess 34 as shown. During this insertion,locking pin 60 engages the upper annular face of bottom flange 72 and isforced upwardly against the returning force of spring 63. At this stageof installation, in this embodiment flange notch 74 is removed fromlocking pin 60 by an angular distance of approximately 60°, and thesubassembly is freely removable from within the space defined by lockingfingers 43-45. In situations wherein it may be desirable for thesubassembly to be temporarily retained within outer mounting bracket 30,inwardly protruding ribs on the locking fingers which loosely engagecamming lugs 90-92 of inner bracket member body 80 may be provided.

Inner bracket member 70 is releasably secured to outer member 30, andthereby to panel 125 as well, in a manner represented in FIG. 7C. As aninstaller rotates elbow 100 in the direction indicated by arrow 140,elbow 100 freely rotates relative to inner bracket member 70 until stopblock 106 abuts end 77 of inner bracket member travel stop 76.Additional rotation of elbow 100 results in inner bracket member 70simultaneously rotating therewith and relative to fixed outer bracketmember 30. During this rotation, camming lugs 90-92 of body prongs 83-85engage or ramp up camming ramps 48-50 of locking fingers 43-45, drawinginner bracket member 70 fully upward to ensure bottom flange 72 is flushwith bottom wall 32 of outer bracket member 30. During this furtherrotation, prongs 83-85, and more particularly the tetrahedral shapedouter radial portions of camming lugs 90-92, encounter locking fingers43-45. Due to their resilient character, prongs 83-85 are compressedradially inward during camming, and locking fingers 43-45 will alsoexperience a slight radially outward bending as shown in order to createa spring force which helps to stabilize final installation. Due to theirability to decrease in width, the longitudinal slots between adjacentprongs permits this compression of prongs 83-85. As prongs 83-85 arepressed inwardly, their inner surfaces squeeze or compress vertical leg104 and annular ridge 108 of elbow 100 to provide a generally horizontalforce on elbow 100. This compressing action or horizontal force createsa tighter frictional engagement between the elbow and inner bracketmember. Consequently, the effort or torque required to subsequentlyrotate elbow 100 within inner bracket member 70 is increased from theeffort required before the camming. The effort increasing is desirablefrom a standpoint of achieving a more significant effort for movement ofthe sunshade assembly 15 from a forward position adjacent windshield 18to a lateral position adjacent side window 19.

Inner bracket member 70 continues to rotate with elbow 100 untilsemi-circular notch 74 rotates from the shadowed position shown in FIG.7C to the illustrated locking position directly below pin 60. Spring 63biases pin 60 outwardly to positively lock bottom flange 72 therewith toprevent further rotation of inner bracket member 70 relative to outerbracket member 30. Visor mounting bracket assembly 25 is nowoperationally installed. While elbow 100 cannot be further rotated indirection 140 due to the engagement with travel stop 76, elbow 100 canbe rotated relative to inner bracket member 70 counter to direction 140.It will be appreciated that the visor mounting bracket assembly 25facilitates installation as no powered or hand tools or fasteners arerequired in this installation and as assembly 25 can be referring anexpeditious fashion.

Referring now to FIGS. 8A and 8B, removal of visor mounting bracketassembly 25 proceed as follows. Initially, while locking pin 60 isforced upward against the returning force of spring 63, for example withthe use of narrow instrument 142 shown in FIG. 8A, elbow 100 is rotatedrelative to inner bracket member 70 in a clockwise direction indicatedby arrow 144. During elbow rotation, stop block 106 engages end 78 oftravel stop 76, which causes inner bracket member 70 to begin to rotatewith elbow 100. After inner bracket member 70 rotates through apreselected angular arc, which for the shown embodiment is approximately60°, camming lugs 90-92 will again be properly oriented with keyedopening 36 to allow withdrawal of the inner bracket member/elbowsubassembly as shown in FIG. 8B.

Rather than locating travel stop 76 on the bottom surface of innerbracket member flange 72, a conceptually similar travel stop can beprovided within the internal hollow of body 80 provided a cooperatingstop block is fashioned at an appropriate elevation on vertical leg 104of inserted elbow 100.

A second embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 9-14 and is inmany respects similar to the embodiment of FIG. 1. Referring now to thesubstantially exploded view of FIG. 9, the second embodiment of thevisor mounting bracket assembly includes outer bracket member 160, innerbracket member 210, and elbow 250. The apertured panel 275 to which theassembly may be attached is described further as a portion of the sheetmetal roof, but in the case of off-line modular assembly may be a rigidbacking plate against which an interposed headliner is maintained. Panel275 includes outer surface 280 and an inner surface 281. Panel 275includes a keyed aperture formed by a generally triangular base aperture277 and a rectangular slot 278 extending from base aperture 277. Slot278 receives anti-rotation pin or tower 176 and ensures a properinsertion alignment of outer bracket member 160 relative to aperturedpanel 275. The headliner intended to cover underside surface 281 ofpanel 275 is not separately shown in FIG. 9.

Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, outer bracket member 160 is integrallymolded from a resilient plastic with a generally planar, circular bottomwall 162. A circular recess (not shown) formed in the lower surface ofbottom wall 162 is sized and shaped to accommodate bottom flange 212 ofinner bracket member 210. Passing through the central portion of bottomwall 162 is keyed opening 164 through which the prongs of inner bracketmember 210 insert. Keyed opening 164 allows inner bracket member 210 tobe installed in only one orientation. Keyed opening 164 is generallytriangular in shape but includes a non-symmetry to prevent an improperrotational orientation of inner bracket member 210 during its insertion.Alternatively shaped keyed openings and cooperating inner bracketmembers 210 may also be employed.

Upwardly extending from the radial periphery of bottom wall 162 isoutwardly bowed shield 166, which is shaped complementary to panel 275such that shield upper edge 167 presses an interposed headliner againstpanel underside surface 281 when outer bracket member 160 is mounted.Anti-rotation pin 176 is also integrally formed with and upwardlyextends from bottom wall 162.

Formed into bottom wall 162 is flex arm 170, which includes a downwardlyprojecting nub 172 (See FIG. 11) at its distal end. The plasticconstruction of bracket member 160 provides flex arm 170 with sufficientresilience to return from a biased upward position experienced duringbracket assembly installation to a locking position coplanar with bottomwall 162. The biased upward position and locking position arerespectively shown in dashed and solid lines in FIG. 11.

Outer bracket member 160 also includes three upwardly extending lockingfingers which are resiliently hingedly connected to bottom wall 162.Locking fingers 180-182 are aligned in a one to one correspondence andflanking the legs of keyed opening 164. The resilient construction offingers 180-182 affords sufficient resiliency to return from a radiallyinward deflected position experienced during bracket mounting to aradially outward latching position. The upper faces of locking fingers180-182 include ramps 184-186 used for camming inner bracket member 210upward into an assembled position. Locking bosses or catches 188-190 areintegral with and project from the outwardly facing side surfaces oflocking fingers 180-182 to positively engage or snap over the uppersurface 280 of panel 275 during installation of outer bracket member160. In order to positively engage alternately contoured panels, or toengage apertures in addition to the single, base aperture 277 shown,locking bosses 188-190 could be otherwise configured. Vertical slots 192positioned in the radially outward base portions of locking fingers180-182 extend downward through bottom wall 162 and open into the notshown underside recess. Slots 392 are sized to allow insertion of a toolsuch as a screwdriver used to individually force fingers 180-182radially inward to allow removal of outer bracket member 160 from panel275. As described with reference to the embodiment of FIG. 1, lockingfingers 180-182 could alternatively be formed as part of an insert whichis connectable to the remainder of outer mounting bracket 160.

Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 12, inner bracket member 210 is molded froma resilient, flexible plastic that affords prongs 214-216 suitableflexibility to be compressed into a tightened engagement with elbow 250during camming rotation of member 210 during assembly. Bottom annularflange 212 includes a hole 218 therethrough which cooperates with nub172 of flex arm 170 to lock inner bracket member 210 to outer bracketmember 160. An arcuate slot 220 of around 180° formed in annular flange212 flanks a central bore into which axially inserts elbow 250, which isshown in cross-section in FIG. 12. Radially aligned end faces 222, 223of arcuate slot 220 serve as stops for elbow stop tab 258 to provide thedesired operational range of rotation for the elbow.

Tubular body 225 of inner bracket member 210 extends upwardly fromflange 212 and terminates with upstanding prongs 214-216 defined bylongitudinally extending slots therebetween. The hollow interior oftubular body 225 is generally a frustoconical axial bore. The hollowinterior tapers upwardly and ends at a ledge 227 disposed on and juttinginwardly from each prong 214-216. Camming lugs 230-232 situatedproximate the top of prongs 214-216 protrude radially outwardly. Lugs230-232 together define a body upper periphery which is particularlyshaped to insert through keyed opening 164. Lugs are also used toregulate efforts.

As shown in FIG. 9, elbow 250 is generally molded in an L-shape formthat includes a horizontal leg portion 252 and a vertical leg portion254. Angles between leg portions 252 and 254 other than theapproximately 90° angle shown may be provided. At its upper end, elbowvertical leg portion 254 tapers upwardly to closely correspond in sizeand shape to the interior hollow of inner bracket member body 225.Annular ridge 256 if formed in vertical leg portion 254 at its top end.A radially extending stop block or tab 258 is formed along the middleregion of vertical leg portion 254 at a height which results in tab 258residing within arcuate slot 220 when annular ridge 256 is supported byinner bracket member ledges 227. A visor shaft which may be encased orotherwise attached to elbow 250 is not shown.

To connect elbow 250 to inner bracket member 210, elbow vertical legportion 254 is slidably inserted in the axial direction into theinterior hollow of body 225 until annular ridge 256 encounters ledges227 of prongs 214-216. Provided sufficient axial force is applied toelbow 250, prongs 214-216 are biased outward allowing annular ridge 256to slide past ledges 227, at which time prongs 214-216 resiliently snapback to their static position to effectively maintain elbow 250 therein.Elbow 250 may be rotated relative to inner bracket member 210 providedtorque or effort is applied which is sufficient to overcome thefrictional resistance that then exists. As with the embodiment of FIG.1, stop tab 258 spans an arc of about 60°, thereby allowing elbow 250 tobe rotated about 120° before stop tab 258 abuts either of end faces 222,223.

The structure of the visor mounting bracket assembly of FIG. 9 will befurther understood in view of the following description of a method ofits installation, with reference to FIGS. 13A-13C, and its removal, withreference to FIGS. 14A and 14B.

As shown in FIG. 13A, outer bracket member 160 is initially attached topanel 275. In particular, with outer bracket member 160 rotationallyoriented such that anti-rotation tower 176 is aligned with rectangularslot 278 and such that locking fingers 180-182 are aligned with baseaperture 277, outer bracket member 160 is moved upwardly in thedirection indicated by arrow 195. During this upward insertion, theramped upper faces of locking bosses 188-190 encounter the inner surface281 of panel 275, which causes locking fingers 180-182 to be bentradially inward. As outer bracket member 160 continues to be forcedupwardly, the tips of the locking bosses eventually pass outer surface280 of panel 275, and locking fingers 180-182 then snap outwardly to asecuring position latchably engaging panel 275.

Referring now to FIG. 13B, after outer bracket member 160 is mounted, asubassembly of bracket member 210 and elbow 250 are installed. Insertionof the subassembly commences by rotationally orienting inner bracketmember 210, preferably with the aid of indicia provided on thecomponents, such that lugs 230-232 are properly oriented so as to beinsertable into keyed opening 164. The subassembly is then slid in theaxial direction indicated by arrow 197 until annular flange 212 entersthe recess on the underside of bottom wall 162. During this insertion,flex arm nub 172 contacts the upper face of flange 212 and is biasedupward. At this stage of installation, the subassembly is freelyremovable in an axial direction from within outer bracket member 160.

Inner bracket member 210 is then releasably secured to outer bracketmember 160, and thereby to panel 275, in a manner represented in FIG.13C. As an installer rotates elbow 250 in the direction indicated byarrow 199, elbow 250 rotates relative to inner bracket member 210 untilstop tab 258 abuts arcuate slot end face 223. Additional rotation ofelbow 250 cause inner bracket member 210 to simultaneously rotatetherewith and relative to outer bracket member 160, which isrotationally fixed by anti-rotation tower 176. During this rotation,camming lugs 230-232 of body prongs 214-216 ramp up camming ramps184-186 of locking fingers 180-182, drawing inner bracket member 210fully upward to ensure bottom flange 212 is flush with bottom wall 162.During this further rotation, the outer radial portions of camming lugs230-232 encounter locking fingers 180-182. Due to their resilientcharacter, prongs 214-216 are compressed radially inward during camming,and locking fingers 180-182 may also experience a slight radiallyoutward bending as shown. As prongs 180-182 are pressed inwardly, theirinner surfaces compress vertical leg 254 and annular ridge 256 of elbow250, thereby providing a force transverse to the axis about which elbow250 is inserted and rotated. This compressing force translates to anincreased frictional force or rotational effort for the mounting bracketassembly. It will be appreciated that when elbow 250 is axially insertedvertically into the mounting bracket, the forces on the elbow creatingthe higher frictional effort are horizontally oriented.

Inner bracket member 210 continues to rotate with elbow 250 until hole218 rotates under flex arm hub 172, at which point flex arm 170 biasesnub 172 downward to positively lock flange 212 and thereby preventfurther rotation of inner bracket member 210 relative to outer bracketmember 160. The visor mounting bracket assembly is now operationallyinstalled. It will be appreciated that the direction in which the elbowand inner bracket subassembly were rotated to achieve installation isopposite to the direction for the embodiment of FIG. 1 due to theembodiment of FIG. 9 being suited for a passenger side visor.

Referring now to FIGS. 14A and 14B, removal of the visor mountingbracket assembly begins by first forcing flex arm 170 upward byinserting instrument 201 into hole 218 and simultaneously rotating elbow250 in the direction indicated by arrow 203. During elbow rotation, stoptab 258 engages end face 222 and causes inner bracket member 210 torotate with elbow 250. After inner bracket member 210 rotates through apreselected angular arc, camming lugs 230-232 will again be properlyoriented with keyed opening 164 to allow withdrawal in axial direction205 of inner bracket member/elbow subassembly as shown in FIG. 14B.

Referring to FIG. 15, there is shown an alternate embodiment of an outerbracket member, generally designated 285. Outer bracket member 285differs from outer bracket member 160 of the embodiment of FIG. 9 inthat its shield 287 is integrally formed with an extension 288 thatcontinues as an auxiliary visor arm 289 which extends parallel to thefront windshield when the bracket assembly is installed. Thus, bracketmember 285 is integral with visor arm 289. A auxiliary visor blade (notshown) may be attached to visor arm 289 and may be rotated down to coverthe top portion of the windshield when the primary visor blade has beenswung to cover the side window.

It will be appreciated that the foregoing is presented by way ofillustration only, and not by way of any limitation, and that variousalternatives and modifications may be made to the illustrated embodimentwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of attaching a sunshade to a vehiclecomprising the steps of:providing an apertured panel; providing amounting bracket assembly including an outer bracket, an inner bracket,and an elbow connectable with the sunshade, said outer bracket includingmeans for attachment to the apertured panel and an inner bracketreceiving opening, said inner bracket including a plurality of resilientlocking prongs defining at least a portion of an elbow receivinginterior hollow; attaching said outer bracket to said apertured panel;inserting said elbow into said elbow receiving interior hollow;inserting said resilient locking prongs into said inner bracketreceiving opening of said attached outer bracket; and after insertioninto said receiving opening, axially rotating said resilient lockingprongs relative to said outer bracket from a first rotationalorientation to a second rotational orientation, wherein during rotationsaid resilient locking prongs engage a portion of said outer bracket tobe compressed radially inwardly thereby so as to compress said elbowbetween said prongs such that rotation of said elbow relative to saidinner bracket is frictionally resisted.
 2. The method of claim 1 whereinsaid inner bracket and said outer bracket further comprise cooperatingmeans for locking said inner bracket to said outer bracket, wherein saidinner bracket locking means automatically engages said outer bracketlocking means during said prongs rotating step when said prongs reachsaid second rotational orientation.
 3. The method of claim 2 whereinsaid outer bracket locking means comprises a resilient flex arm.
 4. Themethod of claim 1 wherein said inner bracket comprises a travel stopmeans, wherein said elbow comprises a stop block engagable with saidtravel stop means, and wherein said prongs rotating step comprisesrotating said elbow relative to said inner bracket until said stop blockabuts said travel stop means and then continuing rotating said elbowwhile said stop block engages said travel stop means such that saidinner bracket rotates therewith.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein saidattachment means comprises a plurality of resilient locking fingersinsertable into one aperture of said panel and latchable with said panelfor attaching said outer bracket to said panel.
 6. The method of claim 1wherein the apertured panel comprises a rigid backing plate, and whereinthe method further comprises the steps of providing an apertured vehiclepanel, and attaching said outer bracket to said apertured vehicle panelafter the step of attaching said outer bracket to said backing plate.